Clubhouse model of psychiatric rehabilitation: how is recovery reflected in documentation?

Recovery-oriented models of psychiatric rehabilitation, such as the Clubhouse model, are an important addendum to the clinical treatment modalities that assist people with chronic and severe mental illness. Several studies have described the subjective experiences of personal recovery of individuals in the clubhouse context, but limited research has been undertaken on how clubhouses have operationalized recovery in practice. The research question addressed in this paper is: How are recovery-oriented practices reflected in the documentation of a clubhouse? The documents examined included representative samples of key documents produced or utilized by a clubhouse, including public health-promotion materials and policy and membership documents. Data were subjected to content analysis, supported by the Recovery Promotion Fidelity Scale. The recovery categories identified in the documents included collaboration (27.7%), acceptance and participation (25.3%), quality improvement (18.0%), consumer and staff development (14.5%), and self-determination (14.5%). These categories show how the clubhouse constructs and represents personal recovery through its documentation. The findings are important in light of the role that documentation can play in influencing communication, relationships, and behaviour within organizations. The findings can also be used to inform future research related to recovery-oriented practices in clubhouse settings.